David Ray

I want to read this for the illustrations, also to check if the editing is really as bad as one reviewer says, and if it should be dumbed-down as another reviewer said. (Obviously we already suspect my answer to that second reviewer as we know that I love books that challenge children... 'engrossed' is not that hard a word unless that reviewer thinks that all picture-books are for preschool & younger....)
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Well, there's one rather abrupt transition. And I don't know why the parents are so show more strict. Otherwise, it's a fine original fairy tale. Only scary if you believe in curses/spells, otherwise about the level of creepiness of Sleeping Beauty or so. Happy ending. Not too advanced, not too simple, for ages 8-10 independently or younger as a family read-aloud.

No idea what the editing complaint is. If anything, not enough adverbs. Fun vocabulary that is mostly decipherable by context (and not difficult anyway). Comma placement works fine. The scanned copy on OpenLibrary.org is just fine. show less

Having read about David Ray in a recent Tucson newspaer I thought his memoirs would bear up to closer scrutiny... as well they did.
Having lived in both Oklahoma and Arizona, as he had, and experienced a problem with the 'father figure' in my life too his story, all though a generation apart from mine, resonanted with similar demons and passions.
I also felt as a reserach subject for a future novel the bearing of his soul and sexual proclivities would fit in with a character I had in mind and show more I was not disappointed in that regard either.
As for the book, well Ray just has a wonderful way of laying out a story. Told in child to adult format he lets us in to all his secrets and lies and I imagine the writing of it was therapeutic to the author. show less

Having read about David Ray in a recent Tucson newspaer I thought his memoirs would bear up to closer scrutiny... as well they did.
Having lived in both Oklahoma and Arizona, as he had, and experienced a problem with the 'father figure' in my life too his story, all though a generation apart from mine, resonanted with similar demons and passions.
I also felt as a reserach subject for a future novel the bearing of his soul and sexual proclivities would fit in with a character I had in mind and show more I was not disappointed in that regard either.
As for the book, well Ray just has a wonderful way of laying out a story. Told in child to adult format he lets us in to all his secrets and lies and I imagine the writing of it was therapeutic to the author. show less

Having read about David Ray in a recent Tucson newspaer I thought his memoirs would bear up to closer scrutiny... as well they did.
Having lived in both Oklahoma and Arizona, as he had, and experienced a problem with the 'father figure' in my life too his story, all though a generation apart from mine, resonanted with similar demons and passions.
I also felt as a reserach subject for a future novel the bearing of his soul and sexual proclivities would fit in with a character I had in mind and show more I was not disappointed in that regard either.
As for the book, well Ray just has a wonderful way of laying out a story. Told in child to adult format he lets us in to all his secrets and lies and I imagine the writing of it was therapeutic to the author. show less